OverviewSam Krichinsky is a young man when he arrives in America in 1914. The Russian Jewish immigrant settles in Baltimore, starts a wall papering business, gets married and has a family. Over the years, things change a lot for the Krichinsky family. His son Jules grows up in America and understands the customs of the old country less and less. Jules and his cousin Izzy leave behind the small business endeavors of their fathers and open a big discount store. Their wives seem like modern women, especially in comparison to the first generation immigrant mothers. Their children are more influenced by television than the old family stories. The final stretch is when the newer Krichinsky generation moves to the suburbs, further rupturing the extended family.